Qantas cancels $3bn Dreamliner order

Oz airline Qantas has cancelled its $3bn order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the BBC reports.

Qantas said the decision was due to "the worsening economic environment" and not the repeated delays in the 787 programme which was earlier this week knocked back for a fifth time due to "a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft".

The airline noted that since it placed the order in 2005, the "operating environment for the world's airlines has clearly changed dramatically". ®